Town Square

Investing in our community

Original post made
on Mar 15, 2013

Our new General Plan allows sizeable increases in housing and commercial activity in the area anchored by San Antonio Road, between Central Expressway and El Camino Real. The San Antonio Shopping Center is to play a dual role as a "village center" and a wider destination.

I so agree with Ms. Lovins. We need neighborhood-serving businesses...and, according to the the school district, a school. Decent bike and walking routes, and community services should be considered in a comprehensive planning process for development of this mammouth scale.

Kasperzak has got to go. He consistently demonstrates he is in the developers' back pocket. It's one thing to work with developers. It's another to roll over for them at the expense of good community planning.

Council, we'll take note how you vote on this...and I, for one, will make a point of reminding voters what you did during the next election cycle.

Posted by Lost Altos
a resident of another community
on Mar 15, 2013 at 6:47 pm

One of the only reasons I come to Los Altos is so I can come to the Milk Pail. They are a treasure, one of their kind, wonderful store and they pull the community together. I live half an hour away! It is not only Los Altos residents that benefit from this tiny institution, but also us, out of towners. If Los Altos is foolish enough to force out one of it's priceless assets - then please, Milk Pail, come to San Jose! We would love to have you!And I will not make the drive down to frequent your new Safeway or Starbucks. Thanks - we have plenty of those!

Posted by Mary Mercogliano
a resident of another community
on Mar 15, 2013 at 8:34 pm

I visit The Milk Pail every time I am in town visiting my mother. Besides my mother, The Milk Pail is the best thing about Mountain View. Removing this locally owned and operated jewel would be a crime. My hope is that whomever needs to make decisions recognizes the jewel. Those of us who do not live close to Mountain View would love to have a Milk Pail in our neighborhood.

Posted by Neighbor
a resident of The Crossings
on Mar 15, 2013 at 9:56 pm

We love the Milk Pail!

City Council, please don't turn our neighborhood into a service desert, driving out all the wonderful little locally owned businesses in Mountain View! Please consider the residents and the COMMUNITY in your plans, not just gross profits.

Posted by Elloumi
a resident of Sylvan Park
on Mar 15, 2013 at 10:18 pm

The Milk Pail is weekly tradition for my family and the ONLY reason for us to go to that side of Mountain View and do our other shopping in the area. If The Milk Pail was no longer there, shopping in Sunnyvale and Cupertino would be more practical for my family. We currently spend a minimum of $300 a week between the Mt. View farmer's market, The Milk Pail and Whole Foods.

Posted by Tapan
a resident of St. Francis Acres
on Mar 16, 2013 at 7:35 am

This Op-Ed piece rings so true. This is not just an issue about MilkPail or even the San Antonio corridor -- but something that is occuring all throughout Mountain View.

The development being considered is permanently altering the character of our city without (a) general consensus on increased density and what this will do to our city (b) a plan for necessary infrastructure or any precise plan. The General Plan calls for increased density. That's not the issue. The issue is that there is no agreement throughout the city on what this increased density constitutes. Throughout all the working meetings/neighborhood input etc that lack of agreement is clear. The surveys that were created are fundamentally biased because there is no "None of the above" options: we are asked if we want a 3 floor building or a 6 floor building. What about neither? Increased density does not mean every inch of land has increased density - as the developers (mostly outsiders) seem to be advocating.

Further, the type of development being done, particularly by Merlone Geier is building high-end high density housing, limited parking, greater traffic and high-end retailers. This totally messes up the diversity of the look, feel and character of the city. Not to mention that the prevailing aesthetic creates an inward looking fortress with a wall on ElCamino.

These developers want to create a "Village" to market themselves and benefit their pocketbooks. But we already have a village. It's called Mountain View - a thriving place where we have local "real" businesss, real people and a community -- very much unlike what's happened in the downtown Palo Alto area. Let us hope that our currently elected officials protect the residents and character of Mountain View.

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